Knocking 'em dead with high energy and hilarious moves. Photo: Kelly A. Swift, for the Register

Brad Williams has come a long way since the days of entertaining peers between classes at Sunny Hills High School. As one of the featured comics at the KROQ's fourth sold-out Kevin & Bean April Foolishness show Saturday night at Gibson Amphitheatre, Williams' mid-event set absolutely killed.

The 29-year-old stand-up star, born with achondroplasia (a type of dwarfism), gave a mighty performance, winning the crowd over almost instantly by shaking his money-maker to House of Pain's "Jump Around."

Hardcore KROQ listeners are familiar with Williams as he often fills in for the Kevin & Bean Show's Ralph Garman. Yet it was more than his physical comedy that got laughs; his material was also on point.

As someone who encourages fans to ask questions and not just stare at people who are different, Williams shared that the Little People of America reached out to him about newly declared Dwarfism Awareness Month, recognized in October. His first thought was that it would always be overshadowed by Breast Cancer Awareness month, a cause that even pro athletes recognize by wearing pink.

"It's Dwarfism Awareness Month ... everyone wears capris," he quipped. "They should have given us February – it's the shortest month!"

His rant about last year's film "Snow White and the Huntsman," which turned average-height actors into dwarves via CGI, also had everybody laughing. Williams says the studio's response to an LPA protest was even more offensive: "normal-sized" actors were used, they said, because of concerns about acting quality.

The rest of the evening rolled on smoothly with little lag time between comics, among them Bill Burr, Jay Mohr, Doug Benson, Rob Delaney and Ari Shaffir, all of whom brought their A-games. KROQ personalities introduced each act, reminding that they all had donated their time, with proceeds from the charity gig going to the Wounded Warrior Project and Cedars-Sinai's NICU.

"Next year when we do this, we're going to raise money to get Kevin & Bean some pants," Benson promised, poking fun at how the duo always wears cargo shorts to such events.

As Kevin Ryder pointed out in his intro, Benson, an advocate for legalizing marijuana and an avid user, "walks the walk and talks the talk." The squinty-eyed comic made his way to the front of the stage, small Post-It note with jokes scribbled on it in hand, and opened with "holy crap, I'm so high right now." He certainly addressed an appropriate crowd, as several patrons indulged in a puffing 'n' passing throughout the evening.

Despite the inebriation, his set was spot-on, his quick lines ("the only way you could get me to go to a dueling-piano bar is if it were to the death") receiving huge laughs. He also gave tips on how to smoke pot in a hotel room without getting caught or charged for it later.

Just like in previous April Foolishness appearances, Benson shared his frustration over marijuana's more-or-less illegality, noting that it shouldn't be treated the same as, say, methamphetamine: "I get high and watch 'Breaking Bad' but I don't do meth and watch 'Weeds.'"

Headliner Burr, a fan favorite two years ago, also brought high energy, sharing stories about his significant other and, at one point, explaining why he'd choose a .22 caliber rifle were he to become a gun owner. "You're in a house, what more do you need? It's like a BB gun on steroids."

He discussed life on the road, coming up from cheap motels to expensive hotels, yet shared that he wonders why windows don't open in some high-dollar accommodations. People assume it's to keep anyone from leaping to their death, but how can a hotel be held liable for that? "At what age is 'I don't get gravity' a viable defense?"

During one of his final jokes – a bold attempt at making light of Hitler – Burr detected a lull. He peered into the crowd and said: "An hour after a dancing midget, I'm going to make a Hitler joke? That's suicide."

Since Mohr immediately followed Williams' set, which ended with him dancing to a mash-up of Psy and MC Hammer, the veteran comic came out downplaying it. "I want to thank all of my opening acts tonight ... very funny guys in a couple of years. I'll try to make you laugh with words."

His best bits came from impersonations of various rock legends – Eddie Vedder, Bruce Springsteen, Bono – all of whom he chastised for chatting way too much during arena tours that fetch hundreds per ticket. "Just shut up and play the hits," he demanded, adding that the Rolling Stones get right to the point: "They're not going to waste time talking because at any moment they could be dead."

Delaney and Shaffir served as stellar warm-up, setting a good pace for the rest of the evening. But really: Kevin & Bean with Sam the Armenian Comedian? He's a local "comedian" the morning show occasionally puts on the air, but he's awkward and his jokes have no structure. I don't recall how long they allowed him on stage, but it felt like forever. The audience initially went along with the gag but eventually began to boo him profusely.

Thankfully Kevin & Bean cut Sam off and put us all out of our misery. "That's the colonoscopy of the evening," Gene "Bean" Baxter told the crowd. Next time, if given the option, I'll take the colonoscopy.

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